Facing heat from environmentalists and other political parties – including `ally’ Shiv Sena – the state government’s clarification on the future of Mahim Nature Park has been swift, though still somewhat fuzzy. Housing Minister Prakash Mehta says the Mahim Nature Park will now be a part of the DP, but will not be dereserved, even as the government undertakes a fresh initiative to redevelop the mammoth area often defined as Asia’s biggest slum. In fact, one would have thought the preservation of the Nature Park would be grandly tom-tommed, as the area around it is redeveloped. This is because Mumbai’s land has been handled cavalierly and/or insidiously, particularly with regard to the environment, by successive governments, whatever the ideological dispensation. So, while Aditya Thackeray’s current protests to save Mahim Nature Park is laudable, it must be remembered that not long back, the Shiv Sena wanted to take over the Mahalaxmi Race Course.

Source: Hindustan Times March 22, 2018 18:45 UTC